That is why free speech matters even when the speech is ugly, obnoxious, or wrong. Once people become afraid to speak, they stop arguing in public and start whispering in private. And once people start whispering in private, politics gets dangerous.
The Irish have historically been very good at refusing to whisper. That may be why I enjoyed this conversation so much. Dowson has a particular Northern Irish combination of religious conviction, historical memory, belligerence and humor. He is perfectly comfortable discussing theology one minute and telling me that the Irish are going to wake up and terrify Europe the next.
I laughed. But I also listened. Because beneath all the bluster is a serious question that Americans would be foolish to ignore.
What happens when people who spent centuries fighting each other finally look around and realize that the argument has changed?
The tyrant-wannabes and control freaks start trembling
1 comment:
The tyrant class love it when the people fight amongst themselves. Stemming from a conversation of just this morning, low approval ratings of government coincides with the rise of emotional investment in participants in the Red/Blue war.
Low approval ratings are indicative of a rise of angst, yet one side will continue to identify with that class more than the other side. This increases the divide and heightens the animosity. The tyrant class cares nothing of approval except that it keeps the heat off of themselves.
The danger to tyrants is when those warring with each other put aside the identification and join together to combat the tyrant.
A peculiar twist is a continuation of low approval nigh guarantees the tumult. Certainly the tyrant class understands this. How else to explain the capitulation on some small event every now and then. Akin to throwing a bone to the junkyard dog every now and then.
Oh how I wish a critical mass of The People would not again fall for that ruse.
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